Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-06-03

homr,' Iy the uuartrtte, Prayer was
offered 10y Rev G. f. Carter and the
quartette sang Nearer my God to Thee"
This was followed by the address by Rev.
Homer Eaton, ID. d.. pastor of the Meth
odlst Episcopal church of this city, which
was listened to with the closest interest.
1t was as follows:
REV. DIR. EAToN's ADDRESS.
Felton, citizens and Members of the
GruHd 4 rinY Of the Republic:
The glad spring time mas come to us
again, melting away the snow and ice of
the long, dreary winter and bringing to
all nature blessed resurrection to new
life and beauty. The bursting bud and
blossom. the new birth of all the many
forms and forces of nature, are symbols
sweet and sure, again foretelling, as each
returning spring hath told during all the
centuries, that though man die yet shall
he live again. In this season of promise
and faith it has come to be the custom
among us to strew with flowers the graves
of our brave and patriotic countrymen
who tell in the defence of their country in
the days of its great peril.
Many of our own loved ones who went
out from our own homes to battle for lib
erty ana right never came back to gladden.
| us with their presence and make our
homes bright and sunny with their love,
! but lay them down to sleep, in graves
| near or remote, to await the coming of the
| resurrection morning.
1t is pleasant and comforting thought
that though their place of burial may be
| far away where our own hands cannot
| scatter flowers upon the mounds that
cover them, other hands shall perform for
us this sweet ministry and that the graves
of our dead soldiers everywhere throughout
our broad land shall this day blossom into
beauty under the genial rays of the noon
day sun. Out from these graves, noiseless
as an angels tread the myriad dead shall
this day come trooping forth to people the
| memories of the living, and as in palace,
cottage, hut and novel, the names OF those
who have so long slept in hOnored graves
shall once more be spoken and their deeds
of valor brought to mind, even the faces
of the departed heroes shall appear in
| memories halls and be seen again by
wives and mothers and friends as they
looked when the sad farewell was spoken
a quarter of a century ago.
This day, which is known throughout
our broad land as Memorial Day" Will
continue to be observed by the people of
| this country for many generations and 1t
is to be hoped throughout all future time :;
and by its blessed ministries and patriotic
utterances it will forever keep alive the
memory of those who fell in defence of
our noble institutions and perpetuate the
glory of their deeds. Indeed the true pa
triot is never dead-can never die. Many
OF those who hear Inc to-day have read of
the great excitement which prevailed
throughout France in the year 1910 on the
occasion of the final lnterment of Napo-
Icons remains. All along the line of
march from the coast to the city of Paris,
where the impressive ceremonies were to
take place, the funeral cortege was re-
celved with much the same enthusiasm as
would have prevailed had the dead hero
returned in full health and vigor with
nodding plumes and flashing sword and
bearing in hand the standard of the lost
empire to proclaim its complete restora-
ton. When the procession reached the
doors of the gorgeous chapel where the re-
mains were to be deposited, the crowd
within was parted and a few soldiers of
the old guard appeared bearing in an easy
chair helpless old mantle aged Marshal
Money. He had made himself the hero of
the campaign in Spain and of his army ii
had been said These soldiers are not men,
they are either gods or demons" At the
head of this army he had achieved unin-
terrupted success from the taking of ST
Sebastian until the frightened court at
Madrid was compelled to accept such
terms of peace as he was pleased to offer
This renowned marshal of France was
just entering the army when Napoleon
WAS born, aud yet he survived the great
emperor by 20 years ana now with bowed
and ShrVeled frame and intellectual fac
ulties gone he is brought in to witness the
entombment of his former chief, AS the
| DOIly Vi NupOltOu was borne up the aisle
to the altar every soul in that vast assem-
blage was moved TO tears, every soul
save one. The aged marshaPS gaze wan.
dered over the audience and about the
editice, but it was the dotard's glance
vacant and bewildered. Suddenly as the
bier rested before him his gaze became
fixed, the flood of memory stirred within
him, he rose to his feet, his face became
illumined and the gathered mourners
looked through his Frightening orbs into
the chambers of the brain where once
more mighty hosts were marshaling and
the battles din was raging. 1t was not
the body OF dead emperor which Law be
fore him, but above the bier his spirit
met III loving embrace the greater spirit
OF Bonaparte his captain and his com
rade. 1t was great occasion and wort by
OF this wondrous manifestation of mem
DRY and love.
And is it not so with us and shall it not
continue 10 be so with those who shall
come after us Though we be white
with age and feeble in body and mind be
cause OF the wear and waste of years, We,
the sound of the bugle, the tap of the
drum and the drapery of the starry ell
/, sign on this Memorial Day shall bring
back to us the memory of the stirring
events of the terrible war-times and cause
us to meet and embrace in spiritual
communion those who sacrificed theil
lives on their country's altar. And so il
Sldll COlllluut W Dc dS luc years 70 Dy
Believe me, friends, the true patriot is
never dead. The self-sacrificing hero
lives forever; and the memory of his
deeds shall kindle ever new enthusiasm
from generation to generation to the very
end OF time.
AS to-day we call to mind the virtues
, and valor of our dead soldiers and lay the
: wreath twined by loving hands upon theil
graves, it is fitting that we call 20 mine
the grand results of the mighty struggle
IN which they fell. These are so many
and great that it will be impossible IN
; single address to set forth their number
E and magnitude.
7 One of the most important of these re
suits was the maintenance of our peculiar
!, form of civil government, the fabric o
!, which Is built upon the justest theory o
. human rights. The foundations of al
: most all other governments have restet
on two facts, namely, the force of tn,
a ruler and the ignorance of the ruled. Ii
. the theory of those governments the in
\ feriority of their subjects is taken TO
granted; it presumes them to be incapa
BILE of wise political action, and by it
| no tnc hat inf rin